The Climbers (Three Figures from Michelangelo's Battle of Cascina)

Raimondi's source for these three male figures was Michelangelo's Battle of Cascina cartoon-a preparatory full-scale model drawing for a wall fresco. It depicted bathing Florentine soldiers scrambling to respond to a surprise attack by troops from Pisa. Michelangelo never painted the fresco, but many artists based their own drawings and prints on the famous cartoon that has since been lost. Raimondi's translation of these figures into printed form brought a piece of Michelangelo's monumental work into the hands of many.

Credit: Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland